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Interview with Athens native James Ponsoldt, director of “The Circle”

James Ponsoldt (left) and Dave Eggers at the Tribeca Film Festival world premiere of “The Circle” in New York, NY on April 27, 2017. (Photo: Dave Allocca/Starpix)

Emma Watson in “The Circle.” The film was directed by Athens native James Ponsoldt. (Photo: STX Entertainment)

Tom Hanks in “The Circle.” The film was directed by Athens native James Ponsoldt. (Photo: STX Entertainment)

With the increasing number of indie filmmakers making the leap to high-profile projects, it was only a matter of time before Athens native James Ponsoldt (“The End of the Tour”) found himself at the helm of a major commercial production.

After reaching common ground with Tom Hanks over their shared fandom of author Dave Eggers, Ponsoldt directed the Oscar-winning actor on an adaptation of Eggers’ eerily predictive sci-fi novel “The Circle” with “Beauty and the Beast” star Emma Watson in the leading role.

Released to more than 3,000 theatres last weekend, the film challenges our culture’s dependence on technology, but it also challenged Ponsoldt as a storyteller.

Andrew Shearer: Tom Hanks recently starred in another adaptation of a Dave Eggers novel (“A Hologram For The King”). How did you become connected with them?

James Ponsoldt: They’ve known each other for quite a while. I was just a huge Tom Hanks fan, because, well, who isn’t?

JP: I see it as being similar in that it’s a character study about someone trying to figure themselves out, wanting to be known, not wanting to be alone, and making some bad decisions — from a place of weakness and vulnerability — along the way. That being said, the larger issues of privacy and surveillance are a dominant theme of the film, and the book (and film) are both satirical, which is a tricky tone — and something new for me.

AS: Was it important to you to identify with (Emma Watson’s character) May?

JP: I don’t ever want to judge a character, even when they’re making poor decisions. I try to see myself in the main character. In the case of May, I respect her idealism and kindness. But if I’m really honest, at a gut level I probably most relate to how she can be insecure and too easily seek the acceptance of others. And with the quick and easy access to the group-think opinion of strangers online, it’s easy to get pulled in many directions and unmoored from your own sense of self.

AS: I read that you’re working on something for Disney. How much can you reveal about that project?

JP: It’s a story about a young mountain lion in Los Angeles who loses his home and family, becomes a refugee, and has to go on an epic journey to join a community of other animals who’ve also been displaced from their homes.

AS: “The Circle” has been compared to “1984,” a novel and film that have recently come back into popularity. Do you see your film as being part of this renewed interest in dystopian stories?

JP: Perhaps, though this depiction of it is in the real world of a colorful, poppy, smiling tech company with essentially utopian ideals, though they occasionally get really, really pushy and try to impose those ideals on others (who might not agree with their viewpoint). Also, once you introduce billions of dollars into the equation, ideals tend to go right out the window, you know?